Little Tony

I know that most everyone is aware of what happened a month ago yesterday. On Friday, May 11th, my nephew Tony was killed in Iraq when an IED exploded near his vehicle. I have gone back and forth about whether it would be too painful to blog, but then I realized that I want everyone to know what a fine young man Tony grew up to be and the sacrifice he made for all of us. Tony was the oldest of my 5 nephews and surely the quietest. He loved gaming, eating (although it's hard to tell by his small frame!), his family and his country. He hoped to enter law enforcement one day, like his dad. He was a wonderful young man, and God wanted him home. It is hard to know what to type. I know that the pain I feel is only a portion of what my sister, Tony, Kenny, Nicholas, Christina, Samantha and little Tony's mother are feeling. But, we hold on to the knowledge that we know where Tony is. I remember receiving a phone call late one Friday night. It was little Tony calling to say, "Aunt Kelly, I was saved tonight!" I cried that night, just as I did the night my sister called to tell me God had called Tony home. Below, I've included a picture of Little Tony when he was baptized just a few weeks after he was saved. I love this picture because Tony was so happy about obediently following his Lord in scriptual baptism. But, this act is not what saved him-Tony was saved by the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed to cover the sin of ALL mankind. Tony asked Christ into his heart, recognizing that without Christ in his heart, he was facing an eternal seperation from God in Hell. Tony's legacy is that he loved Christ, and he would want every person who reads about his death to know how they can join him in Heaven one day-by simply accepting Christ as their Savior.